Anabelle's Light
by NixelM
Summary: Anabelle Mercy wakes up the midnight before her 10th birthday. Shortly after, her world is rocked by a horrific happening. Now all she wants is to find her parents and end this nightmare. This story is not planned. I'm making it up as I go. It was inspired by Mad Father, but not strictly based on it. If anyone wants more, please let me know. Comments are appreciated.
1. Birthday Blood

Anabelle opened her eyes. Her room was dark. Was it still night? She reached cautiously out to her side table and pulled the chain on her lamp. Dim light covered the immediate area, dyed a solemn blue by the lampshade. The clock on her table read 11:46. She looked around. Nothing stood out among her dolls and stuffed toys. What had woken her? She couldn't recall. She rubbed her eyes and stood up. Straightening her satin nightgown, she walked over to the window. The moon was hidden behind thick clouds and everything was inky blackness outside. Her reflection stared back at her, though it looked strange in the dim light. Her hair seemed gray and limp. Her already pale skin seemed almost white and her eyes... There were no eyes, only two empty holes. The longer she stared, the bigger the black holes got. The reflection thing opened its mouth in a silent scream, backing away as Anabelle did. She made a sudden dash for the light switch and then the vanity. She looked carefully at her reflection in the well lit room. Her heart calmed as she looked at her emerald eyes staring back at her. Her cute, round face was framed by golden curls and her mouth smiled nervously. 'Perhaps it was just shadows.' she thought to herself.

A loud crash in the hallway tore her from her musings. She quickly ran to lock her door. As soon as the lock clicked into place, the door began to shake violently. Someone wanted to get in. Looking around in a panic, Anabelle hid behind a bear. She waited, shivering, as the door went from shaking, to banging and creaking. Whoever was on the other side was tearing at the knob in a panic. "Please, mistress! Please, let me in!" screamed a voice on the other side. Anabelle recognized it as Miranda, the new maid. She jumped from her hiding place to let the frantic maid in. However, just as she reached for the knob, she heard a chilling growl. There was a scream on the other side of the door and a loud slamming sound followed by a series of sickening crunches and what sounded like mud hitting the carpet outside. She stepped back away from the door, gripping her hands at her chest. A red liquid seeped beneath the door, soaking into the carpet and filling the room with a metallic smell. Tears rolled down Anabelle's cheeks.

The clock ticked on her bedside table. Anabelle looked at it. 2:10. 'I am ten now.' The thought seemed infinitely less exciting than it had when she went to bed the night before. Her tears had dried and she felt empty. There had been silence in the entire mansion for two hours. She was sure everyone else was dead. 'Maybe it's safe now.' she thought. She had to go to the bathroom. 'Surely I can go across the hall.' She stood up and walked towards her door. The red puddle would be a problem. The smell had started to become acrid and sickening. She put on a pair of socks and rain boots. She then picked up her doll from her bed. It was a hand stitched doll from her mother. It had soft, red hair tied in braids and wore a blue dress. Its smile was sweet and calming. Anabelle looked at it and steeled herself. "I'll find mommy, too." She said aloud. She hoped the words would give her more courage.

Her hands shook as she reached for the doorknob. She unlocked it and it swung open, pushed by something limp and lifeless. Anabelle looked down to see the mangled corpse of Miranda. She quickly looked away, clutching the doll to her chest. She leaned out, using the door frame for support, and looked down the hallway. There was nothing but silent darkness in either direction. Carefully picking her way around the corpse, she scampered across the hall to the bathroom. Five minutes later, she poked her head out again. Her blonde curls bobbed as she looked nervously about. Avoiding looking at the pile in front of her door, she crept her way down the hall. Her mother's room was only a few doors away, but without the light from her room, the hallway was beginning to get quite dark. She pressed on, clutching her doll tightly. She felt along the wall, counting doorknobs. The silence now sounded eerie to her. It felt as if it was purposely quiet. Her eyes were so wide they hurt. Finally, she came to the door. The creak of the knob was almost deafening in the silence.

Her mother's room was dark, too. Anabelle flipped the switch and light flooded her vision. She blinked several times to adjust and looked around. There was nobody there. The room was littered with scraps of cloth and half finished dresses. Designs were pinned to every inch of the wall and splayed out on the tables. Every design was beautiful. They were more amazing than any dresses Anabelle had ever seen, and it looked like they were all designed for her. Several of the pages showed sketches of her in the dress from different angles. Her mother had never worked so hard on a single dress before. Anabelle was puzzled, though. None of the dresses were finished and some had even been torn apart. She shrugged. At least there was no blood. She decided to search for some form of light. In her mother's bedside table, there was a flashlight. It shone brightly when she turned it on. If her mother wasn't here, perhaps she was in her father's room. Her mother usually used this room for work, anyway. She took a deep breath and ventured back into the hallway, leaving the light on to flood into the hallway. She then began walking further down the dark hallway.


	2. Where Are You?

The flashlight was dim, but served to show her where she was going. Anabelle gripped her doll tightly as she crept down the hall. She could see her beam of light shaking with her. No matter how hard she listened, there was only silence. It was almost suffocating. Several long minutes later, she stood in front of another heavy door. 'Father is sure to be here.' she reassured herself. Reaching out a shaking hand, she tried the knob. It was locked. How strange. For as long as she could remember, the door had never been locked. She tried again, jiggling the knob. The sound was almost impossibly loud. Something moved on the other side. She head a shuffling sound and a crash. As if in response, the flashlight died. Anabelle took a few steps back. Beneath the door, she could see a line of light as if a lamp was on in her father's room. Something moved across it.

Her voice was caught in her throat. There was more noise from the other side of the door. "F-father?" she managed to squeak. There was a grunt and another shuffle on the other side. Then there came a sound unlike any she had heard before. It was like a wet, scraping noise accompanied by a series of rumbling thuds. "Run." came a whisper from in the hallway. Anabelle, too scared to question it, did so. She flew as fast as her feet would carry her. Behind her, something slammed and clawed at the door. She kept running until she couldn't hear it. After several corners and black hallways, she found a potted plant, thick with greenery, and hid behind it. Her tiny body shook and tears streamed down her face. She was scared and confused. How had her happy young life become such a nightmare? Where were her parents? She peeked around the plant. Everything was silent again. She gripped her doll. She had never been so afraid of the dark before.

At that moment, her flashlight flickered back to life. She stared at the beam of light. What could make a light stop like that? 'Something bad is here now.' she thought to herself. She felt lucky to have gotten away. Then she remembered the whispering voice. Had she left someone else behind to be caught? She didn't want to go back, but she couldn't just forget about it. Maybe they had followed her. "Hello?" she called quietly. Silence. "Is there anyone there?". "Not yet," responded a rough whisper. "But there will be if you keep shouting like that." Anabelle jumped. A young girl in a tattered white dress stepped halfway into the beam of light. "I am Leena." the girl said. Her voice echoed strangely in the hallway. Using the flashlight, Anabelle looked at the girl. Her heart sank when she saw her face. The girl's eyes were as red as blood. "What are you?" Anabelle croaked. The girl shushed her and pointed down the hallway. The beam of light began to flicker and fade. As the girl disappeared into the shadows, Anabelle turned the light off and hid behind the plant.

It didn't take long for the sound to reach her. The scraping and thumping noises echoed in the hall. They were getting closer. There was nowhere to run. Anabelle kept her eyes closed tight and curled herself into the smallest form she could. Then, the smell came. It smelled like metal mixed with the sickeningly strong scent of lavender and honey. She covered her mouth and tried not to cough or gag. The sounds came closer and soon she could feel the movements. It was like a crowd of people coming down the hall. How many were there? Hoping it was still too far to find her, Anabelle crept from her hiding place and peeked around the corner She could just barely make out a form. It was large and had many things sticking out from it. It seemed to be looking for something. Her, no doubt. It looked like it was moving about on a dozen legs. Then it looked her way. Two glowing white orbs showed from the dark shadow of it's body. They were low and seemed small. The thing moved closer, but stopped. There was the sound of footsteps down another hall. It followed the sound. Anabelle ran the other way.

Down the main stairs she flew. There didn't seem to be anyone around and the mansion was silent again. She took a turn at the bottom and looked around. If her parents weren't in their rooms, where could they be? There was no way she was going back upstairs. She looked at the door. Oh, how she wanted to leave. Where would she go? Maybe her parents would be outside, waiting for her to find them. She went to the door and unlocked it. Pulling the heavy doors open was tough, so she only opened one enough for her small body to fit through. She looked out and barely stifled a scream. There were bodies all over the place. The ground was covered in blood and body parts. In the shadows, slender creatures growled and prowled about. She ducked back in and closed the door as quickly as she could, locking it again. She looked back into the dark house. Her legs buckled beneath her and she sat against the door, crying as quietly as she could. 'Will I die tonight?'


End file.
